#BuryTropesNotUs: How queer women organized online against unfair media representation

Undergraduate: Kylelyn Underhill

Faculty Advisor: Alex McVey
Department: Communication Studies

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In recent years, more attention has been brought to the issues of queer representation in media and the proliferation of online fan communities. In this paper, I will argue that in 2016, fans of the show ¿¿¿The 100¿¿¿ used the intersection of online queer communities, online fan communities, and the horizontal structure of social media to create a social movement. I will begin by reviewing literature on the topics of social media, online fan communities, queer representation in media, cultural competencies in fandoms, and queer online communities. I will then present the case of ¿¿¿The 100¿¿¿, a television show that used the common media trope of killing off queer female characters. I will use this case to demonstrate the power of online communities to connect people and create social change.